ROUND 5 - RICHMOND lost to ADELAIDE - Telstra Dome/Docklands (HOME) 26.4.04 RICHMOND - 2.0 3.2 6.4 9.5 (59) ADELAIDE - 4.2 13.4 15.5 21.8 (134) GOALS - Richmond: Krakouer 2, Hartigan, Bowden, Brown, Roach, Ottens, Hall, Morrison. Adelaide: McGregor 5, Carey 3, S Stevens 3, Bock 2, Clarke 2, Burton 2, Ricciuto 2, Johncock, Bode. BEST - Richmond: Brown, Hartigan, Fleming, Krakouer. Adelaide: Ricciuto, McGregor, Clarke, Perrie, Bassett, McLeod, Stenglein. INJURIES - Richmond: Rodan (ankle, replaced in selected side by Fleming). UMPIRES: Nicholls, Ellis, McInerney. ATTENDANCE: 25,267 Well just when you thought we couldn't perform any worse, the Tiges go out and top themselves. Last Friday night's game against the Crows would have to rank right up there as one of most insipid, unaccountable and pathetic efforts ever displayed by a Richmond footy side and that includes the dark days of the late eighties and early nineties. To top off a disgraceful night a couple of so called "supporters" decided to bring the Club and the rest of us into disrepute by spitting on the players and coach Danny Frawley as they walked up the race at half-time. Fortunately their cowardly faces have been caught on camera and hopefully in due course will be banned from attending any games in the future and if RFC members have their memberships revoked for life. Onto the game, Fleming replaced Rodan in the selected line-up before the start. The match began with Marsh in the ruck and Otto at full forward alongside an injury-hindered Coughlan. The Tigers initial endeavour wasn't bad, however we were falling down once again across half-forward and entering our forward 50. What compounded the problem was many of our forwards were playing from behind symbolized by Otto giving away 3 free kicks to Perrie during the quarter. After each side pocketed a goal, the game settled into a pattern that would ominously last throughout the night - the Crows controlling the middle of the park and feeding their forwards with quality ball with ever amounting regularity. The first quarter ended with Richmond not far behind on the scoreboard but with Adelaide well on top. Richmond needed to lift their intensity as well as their ability to find teammates however the complete opposite occurred. The Tigers simply became uncompetitive and apart from Brown, Fleming and one or two others the rest of the side might have well not been out on the ground. The only time a Richmond player got his hand to the footy was in the ruck tap only for the Crow midfielders to sweep the ball forward with ease to McGregor, Carey and Co who were well on top of their respective opponents Gas and Andy Kellaway. Adelaide slammed on nine goals to one to effectively end the contest (which it wasn't) by half-time. It was then as the players were walking off that a few imbeciles decided to take out their own disgraceful actions on the players and coaches. All was left for the Tigers was finding some pride in the jumper and themselves and following some basic fundamentals of the game like accountability. Richmond did lift to at least match their opposition by midway through the third quarter however how much this was due to Adelaide taking the proverbial foot off the accelerator is another question as the game bogged down into a substandard scrap which suited Richmond. The Tiges won the quarter with Andy Krakouer along with Brown, Fleming and youngsters Roach and Hartigan at least getting their hands on the pill and providing some direction. The final quarter was more junk time as the skills of both sides deteriorated even further although Adelaide's were always significantly of a higher quality than Richmond's. The match ended with the Tiges suffering another demoralising thumping to the tune of 75 points which only further puts pressure on the Club to react to our current plight. < BACK >